The invention relates to the improvement of a buckle used for connecting a band member to a connected member, such as another band member, so that the fastened position is adjustable.
Buckles, such as those shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-140207, comprise a buckle main body and a stopper piece attached to the buckle main body in such a way as to be rotatable. The buckle main body includes a pair of side plates and a bottom plate disposed between the pair of side plates. The stopper piece is bent at a predetermined angle through a bearing part, and one side is an operating plate portion and the other side is a locking cam portion. The stopper piece includes shafts on both sides of the bearing part, and is attached to the buckle main body in such a way as to be rotatable by inserting the shafts into shaft holes respectively formed in the pair of side plates of the buckle main body.
In the above-mentioned buckle, a belt can be passed between the bottom plate of the buckle main body and the outside of the bearing part of the stopper piece in a state wherein the stopper piece is stood up. By laying the stopper piece down from the state wherein the belt is passed through as mentioned above, the belt is clamped by the bottom plate of the buckle main body and the locking cam portion of the stopper piece, thereby fastening the belt.
In the above-mentioned buckle, when the fastened position of the belt is adjusted, the passed-through belt is moved to a desired position in the length direction of the belt while the stopper piece is stood up, after which the stopper piece must be laid down again. Consequently, the adjustment of the buckle requires both hands of an operator. Furthermore, if tension acts on the belt when the stopper piece is stood up, the belt may unpredictably slip through between the buckle main body and stopper piece.
In this kind of buckle including this sort of base and a lever member rotatably attached to the base, the band member passing between the base and lever member in the state that the lever member is stood up by rotating is clamped by laying the lever member down, thereby fastening the band member. The buckle may slip between the base and lever member when the lever member is stood up.
The present invention has been made such that the buckle prevents the band member from unpredictably slipping between the base and lever member when the lever member is stood up, and also, the lever member can be laid down by one hand.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.